


It Takes a Mountain

by aebirdie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: I'll update the tags as I write, M/M, Olympian!Dean, Slow Burn, its just the first chapter, surgeon!Cas, the violence isn't actually violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8963428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aebirdie/pseuds/aebirdie
Summary: Alright, he would rather be in brain surgery than carrying a food tray to some guy. Some guy with a bit of a snobby attitude to one of the nurses. In her defense, Cas'll just be cold and distant. Yeah, because being cold and distant to a five time Olympic medalist always works out.





	1. Can't Help Falling For Him

Dean doesn't remember how he got here, on top of a freaking mountain. On top of an active volcano. Man, Coach was going to kill him.

All he remembers is wandering off the trail a bit to take a wizz, and then getting lost. He and Sam had decided to take a day trip to Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and the next thing he knows is that the lands slanting upwards, and hey, this is a fucking volcano.

Sammy is going to defiantly say, _told you so_ , when Dean finds his way out of the park.

*  
It's been three days, and now Dean's high up in a tree somewhere, hoping that the bear leaves his tree alone. He's taking to calling this tree Sally, because, well, he doesn't really know. It's probably because he drank his last water bottle two-and-a-half days ago, and this bear has been stalking his tree ever since. His head is spinning, and he's yelling, not words, no, but noises, screaming for anyone, anything. The ironic thing is, there's a creek by Sally, a fairly wide creek that his Sam and Jess have kayaked down plenty of times. 

He can feel himself beginning to fall, and really, it might be a nice way to go, maybe falling from Sally's branches might do some brain damage so that he won't suffer under the bears claws and.....

And Dean falls.

*  
"Go to the OR, Novak! NOW!" It's Dr. Rufus Turner, the brilliant surgeon Cas just-so-happens to work with. "This boy is going to bleed out if we don't get down there right now!"

Cas is sprinting down the white hallways, towards the elevator that heads down to the OR level. People are scurrying out of the way, and Doctors Turner and Novak are standing side by side in the silent elevator, enjoying the calm before the storm.

"Ready, Novak?" Dr. Turner asks.

"Ready, sir."

*  
About four hours into the surgery, Cas gets a peek at the guy's spine. It was bloody mess, and literally hanging on by a thread. A very, very important thread.

"Dr. Turner?" Castiel turned to the attending.

"What is it, Novak?" Turner is frustrated. The guy's liver is giving him some issues.

"Take a look at his spine," Cas says, and when Turner sighs, he asks, "Should I page Dr. Talbot?" His heart sank at the thought of paging her, she was the other neurosurgeon attending along with Dr. Harvelle. Dr. Harvelle was his attending, and she liked him enough, but Dr. Talbot hated Cas with a burning passion. 

"Novak," Turner paused, "why do you think you're in the OR? If this was only General and Ortho, only Bradbury and Masters would be here. But it's the three of you, and me, so get to work. And anyways," Turner winked at all three residents, "Talbot's not a surgeon anymore."

Castiel got to work. It is sixteen hours before he stops.

*  
"Isn't that Dean Winchester? The runner who was lost in the national park?" Anna questions on the phone. Although Anna won't admit it, she's one of Dean's fans, and she's not supposed to be on her phone at school, and Cas should tell her that, but he won't, he's too proud of his work.

"Yep," he tells Anna, "Dean Winchester is saved."

*  
"Winchester?" Cas asked to the waiting room. The guy he had just preformed surgery on was Dean Winchester, the guy who went missing for five days in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Five people stand up, and one he recognizes. "Dr. Harvelle?" Cas is a bit shocked.

"Dr. Novak, be professional," she whispers, and then winks. 

"Good news," Cas says. "No brain damage, and we got to the rip in his spine fast enough. With physical therapy, he'll be back to walking after a couple of weeks."

"Honey?" The man in the baseball cap turns to Dr. Harvelle. She's shaking, quietly sobbing and it feels like the earth is shaking with her, like Mother Nature is comforting her. "You heard the doctor. He'll be okay."

"Can we see him?" The young man speaks up. He's tall, so tall that Cas is craning his neck to look at him. 

"Right this way."

*  
Poor Dean Winchester is waking up from whatever drug the hospital put him on. It hurts to breathe. God, not just to breathe, but to lift his head up to meet his families eyes. God, it hurts, and he hates painkillers. Drugs in general, really.

"Mr. Winchester?" The doctor says, for the fourth time, and Dean listens this time, not just focusing on the tears dripping down Ellen's cheeks, her chin, her nose. This is a woman who lost her best friend to a fire, and nearly lost her adoptive son to the forest.

"That's me." He says weakly. 

"We need to talk about your surgery and everything that happened." The doctor looks sympathetic. Bad sign?

"Alright."

"When you fell out of the tree, a branch punctured one of your kidneys, and although the tree broke some of your fall, five ribs are severely damaged and your leg is fractured." The doc pauses before moving on. "The bear clawed your stomach, although the cuts were very shallow and were easily fixed. The animal also got your nerve cord, but our neurosurgeon resident, Dr. Castiel Novak, salvaged it just in time, and in a few weeks, you'll be walking normally."

"What about running?" Dean asks the doctor, dejected. "I need to secure my Olympic spot. It's less than two years away!"

"You'll need to train yourself to walk again," The doctor smiles kindly. "I'm sure you'll be back to running soon enough."

Sam puts his hand on Dean's shoulder as moral support. "It'll work out Dean, it always does."

Dean grumbles something in response.

*  
Cas takes the food tray to Dean Winchester's room. Dr. Turner asked him to do it, and Cas does not mind. Not even a little bit, because who wants to participate in a super-cool surgery anyway? Not him, that's for sure.

Alright, he would rather be in brain surgery than carrying a food tray to some guy. Some guy with a bit of a snobby attitude to one of the nurses. In her defense, Cas'll just be cold and distant. Yeah, because being cold and distant to a five time Olympic medalist always works out. Reporters have already heard that Dean Winchester was in this hospital, so every night, Cas has to push and shove his way through cameras and ladies in sharp suits. He knocks on the door, twice, then lets himself in. Dean's laying in his hospital bed flipping through channels on the TV. He finds one, and the reporter lady is someone Cas recognizes. Anna likes imitating her snobbish voice around the house.

_Olympic medalist Dean Winchester is currently in the hospital behind me, and sources say that he's in a critical coma. Is this the end of his running career? Some say that the attack was by a crazy ex-girlfriend, who shot him after he came out as bisexual last year. Is his sexuality to blame? Back to you, Bob._

"What a bunch of rubbish." Cas places the tray down, and Dean is listening to Bob discuss the various rumors of how he got hurt.

 _The one thing we can confirm is that Dean Winchester is in a coma._ Bob has an annoying voice.

"Who told them I was in a coma?" Dean asks. His eyes are sad.

"No one. They make up bullshit all by themselves." Cas sighs. "Get's quite annoying." The annoying reporter lady, Lilith?, is back. She starts speaking, and Cas says, I'll be right back, and rushes to the front of the hospital.

Dean watches his doctor on the TV eagerly, not because Cas is really, really hot, but because he's defending him. Maybe the hot thing too.

"You're the reporter for Fox News, correct?" Cas questions the reporter.

"Yes, Lilith Davidson." She smiles, no teeth. It's creepy. "Are you the doctor who operated on Dean Winchester?"

"That's classified." Cas winks to the camera. Dean pretends the wink is for him. "Let me fill you in on his condition."

Lilith nods excitedly. Cas has this wild grin, like he's about to fuck shit up for Fox News and the other channels. He is. With all cameras on him, Cas begins making up medical conditions.

"Well, young Mr.Winchester has a deep cut in his lower Promethean diagram, and now has a large tube in his rung ladders. He'll make a full recovery."

"Dr. Novak," a reporter shouts. "Where's the Promethean diagram?"

"It's directly under your kidney." Cas has to keep himself from laughing. "The rung ladders are a set of blood vessels shaped like a ladder."

"Novak, one more thing!" Someone is shoving a mic in his face.

"No more questions." Cas winks again, the kind of wink that makes a boys heart strings flutter, and walks quickly back to Dean's room. Deans still laughing at Cas's interview, because now Bob has a full body diagram up.

"Hmm," Bob says. "I don't see where the Promethean Diagram is." Cas chuckles to himself.

"Dr. Novak?" Dean raises his eyebrows at Cas.

"Yeah?" Cas looks into Dean's beautiful eyes, eyes he has to be careful not to get lost in.

"Thanks." Dean's got a kind smile.

"Anything I can do for my patients." Cas smiles back.

*  
Dr. Turner has Cas bring Dean's meals to him for the rest of the week, except when he's in a surgery. Cas is pretty sure that Turner is trying to set them up, the bloody fool. Ever since Cas's failed date with a neighbor of Turner's, Turner has been trying to find Cas someone. It's a nice gesture, really. Even though work is all he ever focuses on, he appreciates the once-a-month dates Rufus arranges. Nearly all of them end up in a total tragedy. Cas enjoys eating meals with Dean when he's not at home with his sisters.

His little sisters, Rachel and Anna, live with him. Their mother gave up custody when she caught Rachel and her then-girlfriend kissing, and when Anna told Naomi that she was gay. It's nice having them around, and they have plenty of friends at their new school, but Cas knows how hard it is that Naomi willingly gave them up, at age fifteen. Rachel and Anna are twins, not identical, but fraternal. They get the same look in their eyes when they've got a new idea to torture Cas with until he gives in. Lately it's been separate rooms(there goes the office) and redesigning the shed into a loft. He's taking them furniture shopping this weekend. They're pushy, pushy girls.

Naomi still live in England, but Cas and most of his other siblings are spread around America. Only Micheal, their oldest brother, still lives in England. Cas is so very glad that dear Mikey is out of his and the girl's lives, at least up until the holidays, when Cas and the girls will fly back to England and endure the mental abuse Micheal tends to put his siblings through. Two weeks, and then Alaska Airlines will fly them to holiday hell. He _can't_ wait!

Today, Dean's getting fish and chips, or fish fingers and french fries. Why are they called french fries? Shouldn't it be potato fries? Dean's a bit woozy today, his punctured kidney decided to act up. They replaced the micro-stitching, and it should be alright, but this is Dean's second surgery where he's nearly dies, godammit, and if Cas has to bring fish and chips from home, _he will. Falling a bit hard for him, aren't ya,_ Novak? 

"Hey, Cas," Dean sounds like a drugged person. He is a drugged person, except the drugs are prescribed. "It's alright that I call you Cas, right?"

"Yes, that's fine, Mr. Winchester." Cas sets down the tray of homemade fish and chips.

"Please stop calling me Mr. Winchester." Dean says softly. "Mr. Winchester was my father."

"Was?" Cas asks. It's good to keep Dean talking, he's found out.

"He's dead." Dean says his words with little sighs, like he's breathing English out, not talking it. "Saved me and Sammy from a fire, yes siree." Dean giggles.

"Want to tell me about Sammy?" Cas cuts up Dean's food into tiny pieces. If the stitching on the outer layer of his stomach breaks, Dean will be royally screwed over. And not like how England is royally screwed over.

"Sammy's my little brother. He's a real charmer, got himself a college degree and a pretty girl on his arm. Came home fro the holidays. He's in Stanford. A very prestigious school, I might add." Dean rambles on and on about Sammy and Jess and Stanford.

"I went to Stanford," Cas says, shyly. He's feeding Dean little bites of fried fish between Dean's words.

"Cas, sometimes, I think that you're a bit too young to be a fancy resident at this fancy hospital." Dean picks up a chip on his own. "Shouldn't you be just finishing med school or something?"

"I graduated high school a bit early," Cas grinned. "I can tell you about it sometime, if you'd like."

"Why not now?" Dean whined.

"It's a long story, and you'll be going home in two days. Now get some rest." Cas gathered up the remains of the fish and chips and shut the door behind him. If smiles could be heard, his would be ringing like a loud, clear bell on Christmas Day. Hopefully, the girls wouldn't notice the blush on his cheeks.

*  
"Dr. Novak! Dr. Novak!" Lilith calls to him. It's that annoying reporter again. Fox News probably found out that the Promethean diagram and the rung ladder weren't real things. "How come you lied to us about Dean Winchester's condition?" She's on the verge of shouting at him, he can tell. Lilith kind of reminds him of Naomi, except blonder. 

"Did you _really_ think that I would tell you about what happened and his injuries? Hippocratic Oath, sweetie." Cas pushes past her and to his car, finally on the way home. He could even pick up the girls, it was 2:15, and they got out at 2:45. Usually, they take the bus, or even walk, but it was a special occasion, or really, a special day. He had shut down the rumors that the news stations had been spreading about Dean, and had sassed that Lilith girl. He could just imagine the look on Deans face when he watched it. He really shouldn't be thinking about Dean Winchester's face, but bloody hell, that man was attractive. He really shouldn't be interested in Dean, the whole patient/doctor thing was cliche, but he couldn't help it, couldn't help falling for him. It's a sort of of impulse, really. Cas probably doesn't actually like him, it's probably just the thought of dating someone famous that appeal to him. Although Zac Efron or Daniel Radcliffe never had this effect on him. 

It was probably-hopefully-the fame of dating Dean Winchester that appealed to Cas. He parked in front of the girls high school, waiting for them and reading medical articles on his phone. Really, technology was a real help, even outside of work. He spotted Anna and Rachel, and Anna was clearly flirting with some girl. He honked at them, and Rachel began to pull on Anna's sleeve. Anna stumbled after Rachel, waving goodbye to the blonde girl she obviously liked.

"So Anna," Cas said. causally, "who's the girl?"

"Jo Harvelle," Anna blushed.

"As in my boss's daughter?" Cas grinned. "You bloody wanker!"

"Pull off it, Cassie," Anna said. "I like her, that's all."

"Oh, I don't think that's all." Rachel muttered. Anna shook her pointer finger at her twin menacingly. 

"You can hush up now," Anna threatened.

"Or what?" Rachel grinned. She and Cas had the same wild smile.

"Or I'll tell Mum that you don't want anything for Christmas!" Anna yells. Even though Naomi disowned the twins, she still got them presents for their birthdays and such, and told Cas that Christmastime wouldn't be any different, except the girls couldn't come into the house. She did get them two suites at a fancy hotel in London.

"Bloody hell you will!" Rachel cocked an eyebrow.

"Girls!" Cas raised his voice. "Calm down, we're nearly home."

"Will you be going to work after you drop us off at home?" Anna questions. Curious little bugger, she is.

"No, I was thinking we'd eat out then go to the frozen yogurt place downtown." Cas smiles.

"I can think of something of Jo's Anna would like to eat out instead." Rachel mutters.

"Rachel, not in the car," Cas scolds her.

Anna screams, "YOU IGNORANT ARSEHOLE!" Rachel smiles and the rest of the drive is silent, until Cas's work phone rings.

"Dr. Novak speaking." Cas sighs into the phone.

"Hiya, Cas." Dean says into the phone. He must've slept off the drugs. 

"Oh, hi Dean," Cas stammers.

"I was just wondering if I would have your regular number, now that we're friends and stuff." 

"Course you can," Cas gives him his personal number.

"I was getting a little sick of hearing 'Dr. Novak speaking' every time I call." Dean teases.

"Maybe you should call me on my personal phone, cowboy." Cas does his best American accent impression. He can hear static laughter.

"I suppose I will. Will the Queen be attending our afternoon tea?" Dean's horrible at accents, but it still brings a smile to Cas's lips. "Perhaps I'll dial the Governor?" Dean quips. Cas laughs, more at the bad accent then anything else.

"Well, cowboy, I've got to go, but we can talk later." Cas tries to hold the American accent for Dean, but it doesn't work. 

"Goodbye, you bloody wanker." Dean's still speaking in his horrendous British accent.

"Bye-bye now," Cas smiles into the phone. Dean hangs up after a few moments of them breathing into the phone together.

"Well, gosh Cas," Rachel says. "Didn't know that you've found a _special someone_."

"Oh, stop it," Cas says halfheartedly, and then they head to Anna's favorite pizza place for dinner, because why not.


	2. Pizza and Boys and Curious Sisters

The hospital food tastes like crap. Usually Dean's super-genius British doctor brings him homemade food, but tonight Nurse something is slamming down a tray on his bedside table. She cuts it up into minuscule pieces, not like how Cas cuts up his food. God, he sounds like a dick. Or how Cas would say it, a prat. Dean can't help it, he wrinkles his nose a bit at the smell of the pork chops. The mean nurse sneers.

"Just because Novak's taking a liking to you doesn't mean we all adore you." She leaves the room. Dean's a little shocked at her cold attitude. Usually girls-and some boys-fawn over him, ask for autographs and other things. There's even crazier fans, who chase after the limos his manager hires, carrying big signs with purple and pink glitter.

Cas doesn't fawn over him. Cas, he just genuinely cares about Dean, and sticks up for Dean when the reporters are standing right outside the hospital. He's probably like this with his other patients, but making someone french fries-that's a whole other level. If Cas were here, he would correct him in his slightly fading accent. _Fish and chips, Dean, not french fries._ Then Cas would ask why they were called french fries anyway, and Dean would say something along the lines of _They're from France, Cas_. According to Cas, french fries most likely originated from Belgium, and Dean has to believe him, he says everything so confidently. It's probably Cas's voice that has that effect on Dean, making him want to listen and learn from Cas.

Man, he could listen to Cas all day, if he or Cas had the time.

It's a bit perplexing. And confusing but it's him and Cas. They're something special, even though Dean knows that once he leaves this hospital, he won't ever see Cas again. Dean's time with Cas is running out. Ellen and Bobby offered him a place to stay with them, and in two days, Cas'll wheel him out and possibly-hopefully-carry Dean to the passenger seat. Dean really _shouldn't_ be feeling this way about Cas. God, it was like high school all over again, having a tiny weeny crush on someone whose cared for him. First it was his math tutor, Ricky something-or-other, then that really cute cheerleader, Lisa.

Dang, Lisa was cute, but they weren't right for each other. It was probably the Olympic thing. She didn't want to be known as _Dean Winchester's girlfriend_ she wanted to be Lisa Braedon. And with Dean, she was labeled as a pretty thing on his arm by Hollywood critics, and that wasn't cool with her, so they split. 

Which was fine with Dean. He started to become a big name in running, Lisa became a schoolteacher. They still talk sometimes, and exchange birthday gifts. They say is you're still friends with an ex, you're still in love or you never were. It was probably the second option, but Dean didn't want to bring it up with her.

Sometimes, Dean wished he never made it into the Olympic tryouts, even the team. Sure, he loved it, but what if he was a regular guy? A professor, a mechanic, even a Bed-and-Breakfast owner? His life would be very different without running, that's for sure. He probably would have fell in love with Lisa, married her, have a dozen kids and pets.

But he didn't, and there's no use to dwelling on the past. It's really the present he should focus on, because his legs are temporarily paralyzed and there might not be an Olympic career for him to go back to. Coach had already visited twice, telling Dean that it's okay if he doesn't make the team this year, there's always the next games, and the ones after that. What Dean's really worried about is that he won't recover, he'll just give up. He's got a degree in Theology anyway, he can just teach at the University of Washington. Maybe he and Cas will stay in touch, maybe they won't.

*  
Cas wakes up. The alarm didn't go off. _No no no no no._ It's nine already, and he should've been at the hospital four hours ago, its Saturday, isn't it? Maybe Friday? He heard the girls bickering in the living room over what movie to watch. Okay, Saturday, unless they had both contracted the flu and were staying home. He hops in the car, grabbing his sport bag, full of extra changes of clothes and a pair of Vans he had gotten for himself as an early Christmas present. The car ride to the hospital was short, every other person had the day off and the rest had woken up on time. He rushed into the resident locker room, not caring that he was still in his Star Wars PJs. He put on his light blue scrubs and his lab coat, personal phone in pocket and pager clipped to his scrubs. He walked quickly out of the locker room, running straight into Dr. Harvelle.

"Where were you during rounds?" She asked.

"At home, ma'am." He lowered his eyes.

"Castiel, we've got a meeting with the board in-" Ellen checked her watch, "-five minutes. I'll think up a punishment for your tardiness to work today, but we need to go, now."

Cas gulped. Why was he being included in this board meeting? Was it because of the reporters? Or because he had saved a famous persons life? Knowing the board members, it was probably because of his attitude towards Lilith Davidson and the rest of Fox News. The walked into the big conference room, Dr. Harvelle proudly, Dr. Novak dragging his feet.

"Dr. Novak, please, have a seat." A board member waved to the empty chair. Her smile was warm, welcoming, even. Someone served him a plate, full of breakfast goods. Someone else offered him a bottle of water, and he took it.

"Dr. Novak, we'd like to offer you a full time position as a neurosurgeon at this hospital." The head of the board said. Cas exhaled the breath he had been holding. This was way different then what he had been imagining. "Dr. Harvelle and Dr. Turner were both very impressed with your method, and we've all agreed that you've completed your time here as a fellow. You're board certified, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Cas stammered. The head of the board handed him the contract. He signed it quickly, smiling to himself. He couldn't wait to tell Dean.

"There's one more thing, Dr. Novak." The lady who had showed him to his seat said. 

"Yes?"

"It's about the way you handled the reporters," She sounded very serious. Cas put down his donut. "It was very creative, but we don't want you speaking like that to reporters and the press anymore, okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

*  
"Mr. Wi-Dean?" Cas opened the door. "Dean, are you alright?" He rushed to the other side of the bed.

"Cas?" Dean called from the bathroom. "Could you come in here, please?"

"Sure," Cas opened the bathroom door. Dean was leaning against the wall, but his wheelchair had rolled away from him. Cas grabbed it, and Dean sank down into the chair.

"Thanks, buddy," Dean wheezed. "It got away from me for a second there."

"Anytime, Dean." Cas meant it, too.

"Are we going to physical therapy today?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, if you still want to." Cas rolled Dean out of the bathroom. "If you feel like you aren't ready, we can take a walk in the gardens."

"I'm ready, let's go." Dean pointed to the door like a pirate with his sword. Dean and Cas went down seemingly endless hallways and an elevator before reaching the physical therapy room.

"Would you like me to stay?" Cas asked.

"Don't you have other patients, man?" Dean asked. He was trying to not let Cas see how happy the offer Cas made him of staying made him.

"I guess I do," Cas sounded dejected, and Dean winced.

"Bye, Cas."

"I'll be back to pick you up in an hour, no need to say goodbye." Cas walked out the door.

*  
It wasn't Cas who took Dean back to his room. This guy didn't know how to move a wheelchair around as smoothly as Cas did. According to him, Cas was in the OR, operating on a little girl with a small spine injury. Dean huffed, thinking that Ellen could've taken that case, but Dean realized how selfish he was being. Of course Cas had other patients to see, the damn world didn't revolve around Dean. Sometimes he just got too caught up in the moment. The nurse helped Dean into the hospital bed, and Dean watched Dr. Sexy, drifting in and out on consciousnesses. He had taken a few steps today, Cas would be proud, but Dean was bummed. Even simple things like walking tired him out.

The accident had really screwed him over.

*  


A little girl could now live a normal life, tumor free, because of Cas. The wheeled her out of the OR, and Cas tore off his sweaty scrub cap. The surgery had taken around three hours shorter than expected, and it was around 7:30. Since it was Dean's last night at the hospital, heck, with Cas, Dr. Novak went all out.

Cas picked up a pizza from Dominoes, since everyone would be pissy if he had it delivered to the hospital. He carried it to Dean's room, the smell wafting throughout the beige hallways. He knocked twice then entered the room, setting the pie down.

"Hey, you," Dean's voice was a bit scratchy, the way kissing someone with stubble feels. It sent shivers down Cas's spine.

"Hey, you," Cas smiled. He was shy, he was almost always shy around Dean Winchester. It was just something about him that turned Cas into a blushing, blundering fool. Bloody hell, Cas had promised himself that he'd try to not fall for Dean and here he was, screwing himself over. Promises are made to be broken, right?

"Guess what," Dean was excited.

"Lemme think." Cas tapped his head with his pointer finger. Dr. Robinson had already told him how physical therapy had gone. "Superman swooped into your room and you made sweet love."

Dean blushed. "No. Two more guesses."

"Hmmm." Cas hesitated for a moment, building suspense. "You walked today, didn't you?"

Dean nodded. "A few steps."

"Why, you bloody wanker, keeping me guessing like that!" Cas cut up Dean's pizza for him, grinning like a madman. 

"I really like Dr. Robinson," Dean mumbled, just loud enough for Cas to hear. "Told me that I could call her Cassie. Do you think if I ask her out, she'll go?" Castiel's poor heart dropped to his chest. If a Promethean diagram was a real thing, his heart would be right next to it.

"You'll have to charm her first. Won't go out with just anyone, that Cassie Robinson." Cas was slipping into a thick accent, his words beginning to blend together, his eyes tearing up. He was so not crying, Cas doesn't cry in front of _anyone._ And he wouldn't cry in front of the guy he liked, for Gods sake. What a lame move, making some guy feel bad for you by crying your eyes out like a kid. "I've got to go, actually. I'll be back soon." Cas didn't have to go, he wanted a bit of a break from Dean. He especially didn't want to hear about Cassie. 

*  


As soon as Cas left, Dean knew he had screwed up. Man, what in the world was he thinking? _To pass the time, I'll talk to my crush about asking out some girl?_ What kind of asshole was he? What was he even thinking? _Hey, you know what might get my straight doctor to like me? Mentioning my physical therapist and asking if she might want to go on a date with me!_

Wonderful. Just wonderful. Dean groaned aloud and buried his face in his hands. It movement of his arms made his ribs ache. It was familiar.

*  
Around ten thirty a.m., Ellen called Dean to tell him that her house had been tented for termites. She told Dean that if he asked, Cas would defiantly agree to let him stay at his house for the time being. And to make matters worse, Cassie had written her number on a napkin and told him to call her. And then she winked. Like not a friendly wink, a I'm-hitting-on-you wink. It made Dean uncomfortable, but he would probably take her to the movies or dinner anyway, as a way to get over his little crush with Cas. When Cas walked into Dean's room with a brand-new wheelchair, Dean looked at him hopefully. 

"Ellen already asked, I've got an extra room for you at home." Cas grinned. It wasn't Cas's usual reckless grin that Dean was so used to. It was.....softer. Dean liked it. He especially liked that it was directed towards him. "Ready to get out of here?"

Dean nodded. "Defiantly."

*  
They drove in silence for a few moments before Cas spoke.

"I have to warn you, I live with my sisters and they can be," Cas hesitated, searching for the right word, " _curious_.

"I can handle it," Dean boasted. He was sitting in Castiel's minivan, a bit uncomfortable. Why would you but a minivan when you could get a vintage sports car? At least Dean's wheelchair fit in the back.

"I'm sure you can, Dean," Cas muttered. Dean glared at him, and didn't notice when they pulled up to Dr. Castiel Novak's house. It was two stories, but the front looked a bit small. Dean didn't complain. Cas had so selflessly offered Dean a place in his home, and Dean didn't want to wreck it up. It beat living among termites at Ellen's.


End file.
